Tsubasa: Maid Café
by Twelf Bell
Summary: AU ; The place where Fai works shuts down because of a new store nearby called Tsubasa, a maid cafe. There, he meets a lot of interesting people, including someone who has a scary attitude. :: KUROFAI :: UPDATED: July 6th.
1. Departure

**A/N: **This is for Sandy (_UniqueMuffins_ at FF) ! It's like a fic trade *_* I hope you enjoy ^-^ **~SEi**

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><p>Fai stared at his employer. "Eh?"<p>

"I said, 'You're going to have to find another job.' We're going to be shutting down soon." Fai's employer, an old woman with a friendly face, looked sadly at her only employee and sighed.

"Eh? But why?" asked Fai. "The store was bustling with customers just a few days ago!"

"But you've noticed right?: the decreasing amount of customers these past days. You know what that means, right?"

Fai didn't dare turn around and look at the emptiness and silence that had blared in his face when he came to work in the morning. He stared down at the old wooden floor and answered the questions in his mind. _A new bakery opened close by and we are losing customers because of them._

"It's too bad. Your handsomeness attracted quite a lot of ladies." She looked at him thoughtfully. "Or maybe I should say 'beauty'? You've become very beautiful, you know that?"

Fai forced a laugh. "Hana-obasan... please don't flatter me." (He was told to call her that.)

"Oh no," the old lady said with a serious face. "I'm not flattering you. I'm just stating the truth."

Fai laughed a real laugh. In turn, the old lady smiled.

**x x x x Four Days Later**

"Take care, alright, Fai-chan?"

"Yes. I will. Don't worry," said Fai, smiling.

Hana looked sadly at him. "Of course I will worry. You're like a grandchild to me."

Her words made Fai sad. "But you'll be seeing your real grandchildren soon. And I'm already an adult."

"You are, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am."

She sighed. "It's been a long time, eh?"

"Yes. Three years, to be exact."

She gave a sad smile. "A long time indeed." She glanced at the clock. "Ah, you better go now. I've got to close this old place up completely before that annoying man comes and starts complaining." ('That annoying man' = real estate agent)

The blonde nodded. "Thank you very much for everything, Hana-obasan."

Hana waved a hand. "Oh please. I didn't do much at all!"

Fai smiled and bowed.

The old woman returned the bow. When she lifted her head, her employee was gone.

**o o o o**

_Be optimistic! Be optimistic!_ he chanted in his mind before slapping his cheeks with his hands, which caused a few passerbys to glance at him.

Smiling to himself to keep up his optimism, he resumed walking. He didn't have a specific destination. He just kept walking. Suddenly, he stopped. It felt like something was pulling him. He turned around but didn't see anybody. But he noticed that he had stopped in front of a store. The sign read: _Tsubasa: Maid Café_.

He frowned. This was the store that had been taking all of the customer's back at _Hana's Café_. Even the regulars back at _Hana's _had come here. What was so intriguing about this place? And that was when Fai noticed that the pull that he had been feeling was coming from the store. He had had a lot of these feelings of being pulled a lot of times before. It meant that something or someone wanted him.

He stared at the store doubtfully but then gave in. _Just a peek...and then I'll leave._

He walked over to the doors and suddenly felt the pull become stronger. He reached out towards the elaborately-designed doorknob and pulled. A gentle breeze blew as the door swung open.

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><p><strong>AN:** I think putting it in parts is more fun ;D **~SEi**


	2. Just a Peek

**A/N: **Late update, sorry! Excuses are always on my profile! And starting this chapter, I'll finally get Fai's character right – the way that you know him by. Because in the first chapter, he was a bit OOC xD So I'll do my best now. **~SEi**

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><p>"Welcome back~!" chorused two girls. They were wearing matching maid outfits and they smiled in a way that freaked Fai out. With big eyes, they looked at him expectantly.<p>

A few minutes passed before he finally understood and stammered, "I-I'm back...?"

They smiled and ushered him away from the entrance. The whole café was full of people and their chitter-chatter. Every table was full... except one that sat quietly in the center of the café. To this empty table was where the two girls led Fai. He seated himself obediently as they handed him the menu.

The blue haired girl started, "When you want to order-"

"-please just raise your hand-" continued the pink-haired girl.

"-and a waiter will immediately come to you!" they said in unison as they gave a thumbs-up which surprised Fai a little because it was suddenly flung at his face.

Fai smiled at their cheerfulness and said, "Alright. Thank you very much."

The girls grinned, bowed, and then walked away. Fai watched them go, still smiling at their backs. Then, turning serious, he studied the menu as if it was necessary to remember it for an exam or to survive in life.

_Hmm... There's really not anything special here. It's almost the same as _Hana's_ menu... It's just that they gave it weird names... I mean... 'Strawberry Keroberus?' What's a Keroberus? And 'Mokona Cream Puffs'? What is a Mokona?_

With all this confusion in his head, he felt tired. He yawned and then stretched his arms in the air. "Ngh..."

"Yes? Are you ready to order, sir?"

Surprised, Fai turned and saw a brown-haired teen in a waiter outfit next to him. A pen was in one of his hands and in the other hand was a small notepad.

"Eh?"

"Um, you raised your hand so... are you ready to order, sir?" the waiter asked.

"Ah! Um... I was just..." He looked away. ..._stretching..._ he continued in his head. "Um..." Fai looked at the waiter's name tag. 'Syaoran' was written on it. Under the tag was a label that said 'In-Training'. He smiled, remembering those days in which he was a trainee himself back at _Hana's_.

"Alright then, Syaoran-san," -at this, the waiter stood up straighter and got ready with his pen- "I'd like some Mokona Cream Puffs and a cup of coffee, please."

Syaoran scribbled these down and then asked, "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes. That's all."

"Yes, sir! Thank you for ordering!" The waiter bowed a 90 degree angle bow, almost hitting his head on the table, took the menu off the table, and then walked triumphantly away. Fai watched as he walked towards the counter and then disappeared behind a swinging door of which Fai assumed was the kitchen.

"Hm... how interesting," Fai said aloud, grinning to himself.

**o o o o**

"Here you are, sir, your Mokona Cream Puffs and a cup of coffee," said Syaoran as he transferred the plates from his tray to the tabletop.

_That was fast_, thought Fai. He smiled at Syaoran. "Thank you."

Syaoran tried to keep his mouth straight but he couldn't help the smile that was pinning the corners of his mouth up. "Is there anything else that you would like, sir?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright." The waiter bowed another 90 degree bow and walked away.

Fai giggled. _He's a very polite boy. Even the way he walks is refined. Is he from a noble family or something?_ Fai wondered to himself. "...Ah!" He remembered his cream puffs and coffee. _Better drink it before it gets cold._

He picked up the coffee mug and the first thing he did was look at in it. What he saw made him smile. _Coffee art, huh? This is the first time I've seen it in my own coffee._ There were the characters for 'Inevitability' made by milk in his coffee. "Hitsuzen... huh..." he said aloud, thoughfully.

He took a sip. "Hmm... it's both sweet and bitter..." He smiled sadly at the ruined image in his mug. "...Just like hitsuzen itself..."

Fai sighed and then frowned. _Why am I really here?_ he suddenly wondered. _Wasn't I just going to take a peek and then leave?_ He brushed his hair back slowly with his fingers.

Suddenly, from his left, he heard a few "Kyaa!"s. He turned in that direction, causing more "Kyaa!"s to fill the air. The girls at the other tables near him were all looking at him, blushing. He smiled and waved at them, causing another wave of "Kyaa!"s.

He turned back to his untouched plate of cream puffs, feeling a little more cheerful than a moment ago. He poked a puff with the thin fork that Syaoran had placed next to the dessert plate. _Hmm... So is this a Mokona?_ he wondered, looking at the round bunny-like animal that the cream puff was shaped into. "It's cute!"

He picked one up with the fork and bit into it. It was soft, creamy and delicious. "Mmm..." _It's somewhat similar to the cream puffs at _Hana's_. It's just that the shapes they are in are more creative..._

Fai was about to eat another one when there was a loud _CRASH_! He quickly turned his head; the sudden turn making the cream puff fall onto the plate.

A man yelled.

"I-I'm so sorry! I'll clean it up right away!" Fai recognized this voice as Syaoran's, the waiter.

"Do you know how much this cost me?" yelled the same man. Fai assumed it was a customer. He got up out of his seat towards the scene where a few other customers were gathering to have a look.

He was right. The man was a customer, and a fuming customer at that. He was angrily trying to wipe a large coffee stain off his suit. The stain started from the bottom of his tie and was dripped down to the suit pants. Syaoran was frantically trying to figure out what he should do – clean the floor of glass and coffee; clean the table of spilled coffee and ruined dessert; or help the man who was starting to curse. At last, he decided to help the man.

Fai noticed that Syaoran's ears were starting to turn redder and redder by the minute. And then he heard some low giggling and whispering. It was coming from a table near the scene. A group of teens were huddled together at the table. Fai, curious as ever, wondered what they were giggling about, so he weaved through the crowd until he was nearby.

With his good hearing, he managed to catch a few words: "..what...you do?..." "...tripped him..."A laugh. "...an idiot..." A loud laugh. "...he's...in-training..." "...fired..." "...that's good...always wanted...work here..." "...hot girls..." "...pay...really big..." "...fast money..."

That was enough. He had heard enough. Fai carefully walked around the remaining people that blocked his way and slammed his hands on the table of the teens, making a few glasses of drinks fall off the table and smash into pieces on the floor. It was more than enough to get the group's attention... as well as half the crowd's.

"What the hell, man?" asked the guy nearest to Fai as he stood up abruptly, making a loud scraping sound as his chair slid backward. This caused more heads to turn.

"Confess," said Fai.

A few of the teens froze but the guy who had just spoken said coolly, "Confess what? We didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did."

"No way, man." The guy sat down and gave a smirk. "Prove it."

Fai pointed to the guy's face. "That's your proof."

The guy smacked Fai's finger away. "What the hell, man? Pointing is rude."

Fai didn't budge. "Your face shows that you're guilty."

"My face doesn't show anything except anger," said the guy, slamming the table with an angry fist.

"Why are you angry?"

"Because you're accusing me!"

"Accusing you of what?"

"Tripping that damn waiter!" The guy pointed furiously at Syaoran who was trying to calm the customer down. At the sudden silence, Syaoran looked up, causing the whole crowd to look at where he was looking as well.

All eyes were on Fai and the guy now.

"...I didn't say anything like that." Fai grinned mischievously. He turned to the closest people nearby. "Did I?"

They shook their heads.

Fai smiled at them and then turned to the guy. "Therefore..." Fai pointed his index finger at him. "You are guilty!"

The guy froze. And then he picked up a glass that had not fallen off the table and threw it at Fai. Sensing danger, Fai dodged just in time. The glass shattered against the wall.

"Tch." The guy started to run for the exit, almost tripping over his chair and other tables, and pushing the people in the crowd that were blocking his path. "Move it!"

"Hey! Stop!" Fai chased after him. The people cleared a path for him, making his chase a little faster.

When the guy reached the doorway, Fai picked up speed. But suddenly, the door opened just as the guy was at the door and the guy hit his head on the opening door and fell backwards with an "Agh-". At the same time, there was a loud gasp from the crowd.

Fai reached the unconscious guy on the floor just as the smell of rich perfume filled the room. He looked up at the one who had opened the door. It was a tall lady with pale skin and long midnight-black hair. Her red eyes scanned the room before looking down at Fai and the unconscious guy.

"Oh my..." The ends of her mouth curled up into a grin and her eyes sparkled. "What do we have here?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Daaamn. Fai is still not quite in-character. BUT DON'T WORRY! Once he meets 'that guy', it will definitely be in-character! :D **~SEi**

Questions? Comments? Rants? Complaints? Anything? **Review please! :3**


	3. 14000 Yen

**A/N: **Um... no comment. **~SEi**

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><p>"Yuuko-san!" "Yuuko-sama!" "Owner!" "It's her!" "She's here!"<p>

A chorus of calls went through the café as more and more people began noticing her.

The tall lady smiled at everyone in the café and then peered once more at the two men in front of her. She kneeled down and poked the motionless one of the two. "Is he dead?" she asked, poking the figure with her long fore finger over and over again.

"Ah... no..." said Fai. "He's just... unconscious."

"Ah, I see," the lady said, grinning. "Well." She got back on her feet and clapped her hands. Immediately, the twin waitresses came to her side. "Maru, Moro, take this man outside, please."

"Yes, madam!" They saluted at the same time and then began dragging the limp body out the door.

Fai stared, dumbfounded. As the door closed behind the twins, Fai felt eyes poring into him. He turned his head and saw the tall lady staring at him with a smirk on her face.

The blonde stood up and said with uncertainty, "Um..."

Yuuko grinned and said quietly, "Come with me." And she started walking towards the back of the café.

Fai reluctantly followed her after going back to his table to get his stuff. Eyes trailed him as he walked. As he was about to pass through the doorway where Yuuko had gone through, he heard from behind him a loud clap and someone saying, "Alright, everyone! Please resume your activities."

**o o o o**

"... Therefore, you have to pay for the damage during the ruckus."

Fai blinked. "Eh?"

Yuuko kept her smile firm on her face. "Like I said, you have to-"

"No, I know what you said!" Fai interrupted. "B-But, why _me_? He's the one that-"

"I understand that he was the one who started it, but you were involved in the main conflict that included the damage of café property and therefore, you must pay."

"But all I was doing was trying to help out-"

Yuuko nodded and folded her hands on her desk. "I know that you were just trying to help out Syaoran-kun, but a fact is a fact: you were involved in the conflict and the damage of property."

Fai bit his lip. _Great... right after I get my last paycheck, I get involved in a money matter... and in a rival café! I'm such an idiot!_ He sighed aloud. "...Alright... I'll pay..."

Just as he was about to take out his wallet, someone knocked on the open door and let himself in.

"Excuse me, Yuuko-san. I finally got everyone to calm down."

"Good job, Watanuki-kun," she replied, with a smile.

The man with the white collar shirt with a half apron, black pants and glasses sat himself down next to Fai on the couch in front of Yuuko's desk. He tugged at his collar, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. "This is the 1426th time this happened! When is it ever gonna stop?"

Yuuko's red eyes sparkled. "It's because I'm famous."

"Ugh." Watanuki face-palmed and said, "I know you're famous, but could you not make such a showy entrance all the time? Actually, could you use the back door for once?"

"Ehh?" Yuuko pouted. "But I want to see how everything's going."

"I give you reports everyday!"

"Words on a piece of paper mean nothing to me," Yuuko said, waving a hand at Watanuki.

Watanuki's jaw dropped. "Does that mean you've _never_ read even _one_ of my reports?"

Yuuko grinned and said, "Never."

"Ugh!" Watanuki face-palmed again and that was when he finally noticed Fai sitting dazedly next to him. "Ah... you forgot to pay your bill."

"Ah! I forgot!" Fai quickly took his wallet out of his bag. "How much was the bill?"

Watanuki took a piece of paper out of the apron pocket and gave it to Fai, who looked at it. The bill said 1050 yen. He took that amount of money out of his wallet and gave it to Watanuki with the bill. Watanuki dumped it in his apron pocket. "Thank you for your patronage."

Fai nodded and then turned to Yuuko. "And how much do I have to pay for the damage?"

"Watanuki," said Yuuko.

The man sighed but nodded and got up from the couch. He took a calculator out of another pocket on his apron and started punching in numbers while mumbling to himself. "The glasses were... but they were... so... and the table... adds up to... and then... plus the... and... Okay!" Watanuki looked satisfyingly at the calculator screen and then showed it to Fai.. "The damage totals up to a total of 13,150 yen!"

Fai's eyes grew wide and he felt faint. _This is bad... this is bad! I only have at least 14,000 yen left from my pay check and it's enough to pay this... but then I can't live off of 850 yen! *_

"U-Um... can I pay... another day?" Fai said, fidgeting.

Watanuki said, "Each day that passes adds 2% interest to the total. Do you still want to pay another day?"

Fai looked sadly at the two, who were grinning like a cheshire cat. He sighed, "Alright, I'll pay..."

He began to open his wallet once more when Yuuko said, "Do you want to work here?"

Fai looked up. "Eh?"

"You used to work at _Hana's Café_, right?"

"I-I did, but-"

"It closed down today, didn't it?"

"It did, but-"

"You're looking for a job, aren't you?"

"I..."

"Why not work here?"

"..."

Fai looked at Yuuko, who had her business smile plastered on her face. He then looked at Watanuki who didn't seem to care. "I..."

The blonde thought about the reason for coming to this café in the first place: it was a rival shop and he wanted to know what it was that made it boom so well. Just from the interior design and meeting a few of the workers did not help him at all. Maybe if by working here, he might find the true reason and when he did find the true reason, he would tell Hana-obasan and she'll start up her store again.

Fai stood up and with a face of satisfaction and determination, he said, "Please let me work here."

Yuuko clapped her hands. "Good!"

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><p><strong>AN:** How was THAT? (sigh) Thankfully, I was bored today or else I would never have written another chapter in between all my studying -_-; **~SEi**

Questions? Comments? Rants? Etc.? **Review please! :3**

( * = 850 yen is about 10 dollars, according to my insane online calculations. Therefore, 14,000 yen is about $170. )**  
><strong>


	4. Spring Welcome

**A/N: **Um... it's an update! :D **~SEi**

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><p>"I hope you don't mind starting work tomorrow morning," said Watanuki, as he led the blonde to a door that Fai did not notice before.<p>

"No, it's alright," Fai replied. _The faster I get a job, the faster I can support myself. Also, the faster I start working, the more information I might get._

Watanuki turned the doorknob and opened the door, revealing a set of stairs. Fai followed him up the carpet-covered stairs, quietly. When they reached the top, there was a long hallway of which they walked down until they reached a sliding door. Watanuki slid it open and said, "Come in."

Fai stepped through the doorway and found himself in a very large room. _More like, a living room with a dining room connected to it_, Fai thought, noticing the different kinds of furniture everywhere.

"Yuuko-san told me that you stayed in a room on the second floor of the workplace you used to work at. Is that right?" Watanuki asked, as he sat himself down on a very long couch. He gestured to Fai to sit down as well. Fai complied and sat across of the other man.

"Yes, that's right."

"This place," Watanuki gestured all around the room, "is something like a place where all the staff of Tsubasa hang out or take a break. It's also something like an office for me. You can stay here while you're here at Tsubasa."

Fai nodded in understanding.

"Ah. By the way, we're on top of the café if you didn't know that. There is another floor on top of us where the bedrooms are." Watanuki got up and went over to a file cabinet nearby. He came back to the couch with a couple of papers. He placed them on the coffee table in front of Fai.

"Here are papers you should sign so we can officially recognize you as an employee of Tsubasa. You can read and sign it all later. We also need some specific items such as your ID so be sure to bring them to me when you're done with these papers."

"Alright."

"Follow me. I'll show you upstairs."

**o o o o**

"There's another tenant living here. He's the cook. You'll meet him tonight when his shift is done."

Fai nodded and continued to follow Watanuki up the stairs. When they reached the top, there was a wide hallway and four doors, two on each side of the hallway spaced widely apart.

Watanuki went to the first door and said, "This is the cook's room. He doesn't really like anyone coming in his room so make sure you knock and ask for permission first. He's not in there right now but he has a good seventh sense so he'll know if someone has been in his room."

Fai felt chills up his spine for some reason.

Watanuki went to the room next to it and opened the door. Fai peered into the large room and saw a big bathtub, a shower, a sink and a toilet.

"As you can see, this is the bathroom. There's hot water running all the time, so you don't have to worry about taking a cold bath. The door over there," Watanuki pointed to a door near the sink, "is a closet where we put the towels and such."

Watanuki then led Fai to the door across the bathroom and opened it. "This is actually my room but I don't really need this room anymore since I have my own apartment. It's empty now so feel free to use it as you like."

Finally, Watanuki led Fai to the last door, across of the cook's. They went inside and Fai found it as empty as Watanuki's old room. However, there was carpet on the floor, the walls were blue, and the large windows were wide open to the spring air.

"So. This is your room," said Watanuki, smiling satisfyingly as if he was glad the tour was almost done. "You can bring in any furniture you like and decorate it as you like. There are futons in the closet over there since I assume you don't have a bed yet, right?"

Fai nodded as he watched Watanuki go over to the closet and take a clean futon out. Watanuki spread it on the floor and said, "It'll be temporary, I hope. It looks really weird with it over carpeting."

"True," said Fai, smiling.

"So~ do you have any questions so far?" asked Watanuki, patting the futon. Fai thought about it and shook his head. Watanuki said, "Well, if you do have any questions, ask the cook. He'll know."

"Alright."

"However... he might not answer."

Fai looked at Watanuki questioningly.

"You'll find out soon." Watanuki got up and put his hands on his hips. "Well then." Watanuki smiled. "Welcome to Tsubasa!"

**:: Later that day :: 7 pm ::**

Fai was unpacking his things and placing them in places that he felt was right when he heard footsteps on the stairs. The footsteps came closer and closer until it stopped in front of Fai's door. A door opened and then closed.

_Must be the cook,_ thought Fai. _I should probably go greet him._

Fai placed the last of his few belongings around the large room and then went to the door. He opened the door slightly and peered out. The hallway was dark except for the light coming from underneath the cook's bedroom door and from Fai's own room. He quietly walked over to the door across from his room and took a deep breath before knocking.

As footsteps came closer and closer to the door, thoughts went around Fai's mind. _I wonder how he looks like... Watanuki-kun said that he might not answer my questions... How should I act towards him?_

Finally, the door creaked open and a figure loomed in front of Fai. He was a head taller than Fai so the blonde had to look up just to see his face. He was tan with scary dark eyes and dark hair that was neatly cut. Fai was impressed.

After a few seconds of staring, the man spoke. "Who are you?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Ahh... I think I made this story incredibly original. The characters don't even seem to be themselves anymore. Watanuki talks a lot, Fai is really quiet.. Gehh.. I'm sorry ;_; **~SEi**

Questions? Comments? Rants? Etc.? **Review please! :3**


	5. Warmth

**A/N: **Finally, an update! I was gonna update sometime last week but then I got distracted while reading Tsubasa Chronicles again xD I was trying to remember how each character acted and such, since I write too many xxxHOLiC fics =_=; So, there you go! **~SEi**

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><p>Fai noticed that the man was wearing a yukata. <em>Interesting. <em>He smiled and said, "You're Kurogane, right? I'm Fai, the new... worker... I guess...?" He stuck out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

The other man made no attempt at taking Fai's hand and shaking it, so Fai quietly chuckled to himself and awkwardly took it back to his side. He felt Kurogane staring at him. "Uh..." He thought of something else to say.

Kurogane spoke first. "What are you doing here?"

"Eh? I'm here to meet you, my new roomma-"

"What are you doing here at Tsubasa?"

"That..." Fai started to frown but then quickly turned it upside down. "I'm here to work, of course! It's hard to get by without a job, you know?" He chuckled.

Kurogane was quiet and frowning. He muttered something that Fai couldn't hear and then sighed. "You have questions, right? Ask them already. I want to sleep."

"Ahh..." Fai felt rushed. "Uh, then..." He thought of what had been bothering him since he entered the restaurant. "Why are there male workers when this is a maid café?"

Kurogane sighed again and slicked his hair back with a hand, as if in frustration. "That as a first question, huh... This is going to be long..." He opened his door a little wider. "Come in."

"Oh... okay." He walked in and noticed how _Japanese_ his room was. There were tatami mats covering the floor and a kotatsu table in the middle of the room even though it was in the middle of spring. There was a TV in one corner of the room and one bookcase full of books on one side of the room, too. Overall, the room was neat and clean and the air smelled fresh... like a spring breeze.

"Sit down," said Kurogane.

Fai complied and sat down on a cushion in front of the kotatsu table. Kurogane sat across from him and then began preparing tea. Fai watched as the dark-haired man carefully poured the tea from the teapot into the little cups. Kurogane handed a cup to Fai and drank from his own cup.

When Kurogane put his cup down, he started explaining. "You know, there's more strenuous work in a café than you think. But I guess you know that since you've worked in one before."

Fai nodded.

"That's one reason. Another reason is because the first waitress – Sakura, she got sick for a while and so her boyfriend took over so she wouldn't be cut. The one you met, Syaoran, he's her boyfriend. So, that's it."

Fai blinked. "Huh? But isn't Syaoran a trainee?"

"He is now, even though he worked before."

Fai was confused. He shook his head to clear his confusion. "Then... another question. Why _is_ this café called Maid Café anyway?"

Kurogane sighed loudly as if he was bored of answering. He poured himself another cup of tea to drink. Fai took this chance to drink from his own cup. It smelled good and when he took a sip, he felt as if all his strength was drained and he felt calm. He asked, "What is this tea?"

"Huh? Oh... I don't remember what it's called. My mom used to drink this..."

"Used to?" Fai started to ask.

But when he saw the look on Kurogane's face, he said, "Oh... sorry..."

Kurogane didn't say anything but just let the silence hang. Then, he said, "About your question... I don't know the details exactly but Watanuki said, 'She has a fetish,' quote unquote."

"... I see..." Fai started to feel sleepy. He felt his head starting to lose its balance on his neck and propped it up with his hand, elbow on the table.

"You okay?"

"Mm..." Fai's eyes began to droop. Through the slits in his eyes, he saw Kurogane begin to get up. He fell asleep before he saw what Kurogane was going to do.

**x x x x**

_His mother huh... I haven't seen Mother in a while... I wonder how she's doing... Not that she'd really care about how _I _am doing. It's been a long time since I've been in Japan... When did I start feeling at home here? Maybe when I landed my first job at Hana-obasan's place. She was really nice to me even though I was all secretive about my personal life... I wonder how she's doing now?_

_Now that I think about it, maybe that's how it feels to have a grandmother. To be loved and cared for is such a great thing. It's so... warm._

_Warm..._

**x x x x**

"Hnn?" Fai lifted his head, just as streaks of sunshine came through the window. _It's morning already?_

He shifted his position and something fell off his shoulders. He looked and saw it was a blanket. He looked across the table and saw that it was unoccupied. _Where did he go?_ He looked around the room but it was empty. He looked at the clock on the wall and almost screamed. He was already late on his first day.

He scrambled out of Kurogane's room, went across the hall to his room, decided to take a quick shower, and then changed into a new pair of clothes. Just as he was about to run out the door to the stairs going down to the café, he said aloud, "Ittekimasu!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh shizzle. I think DouWata preoccupies half my fanfic mind. Fai is acting like Watanuki (in a way) and Kurogane is acting like Doumeki (- I was so close to writing "Oi!"). I should prolly keep working on writing KuroFai fics (sigh). **~SEi**

Questions? Comments? Rants? Etc.? **Review please! :D**


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